Controversial former general Prabowo Subianto, the former son-in-law of long-time authoritarian leader Soeharto, looks set to be Indonesia’s next leader after securing what appears to be a convincing victory in this week’s election.
Prabowo’s winning alliance with Jokowi A key reason for Prabowo’s convincing victory is the fact he was not running against the immensely popular incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who had defeated him in two previous elections and still enjoys approval ratings of well over 70%. However, it appears much of the electorate was unmoved by these scandals. After all, misbehaviour by the political elite is nothing new in Indonesia.
Because Jokowi is a member of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri’s PDI-P party, his supporters would normally have backed PDI-P’s presidential candidate, Ganjar. But Jokowi sabotaged Ganjar’s campaign by implicitly supporting his rival, leaving Ganjar to run a distant third. Given the controversies behind the Prabowo campaign, the losers are likely to challenge the result in the Constitutional Court. This is common after elections in Indonesia, and sometimes leads to recounts and even re-voting in some electorates.
Oligarchs who backed Prabowo’s campaigns can expect to have cabinet seats and lucrative appointments given to them or their supporters, while Prabowo’s rivals will have to be placated or isolated. Although he was reticent during the campaign, Prabowo has been very clear in the past that he thinks the democratic reforms that followed the fall of Soeharto in 1998, should be wound back. He is unlikely to do this immediately, but as he settles into office, a further gradual dismantling of democratic checks and balances, institutions and individual freedoms is very likely. Critics of Prabowo have good reason to be concerned.
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Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »
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Source: _TCglobal - 🏆 4. / 83 Read more »
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Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »
Prabowo Subianto Warns of Foreign Interference as Indonesia's New PresidentFrontrunner Prabowo Subianto has warned off foreign interference as polls show the former strongman is likely to be elected Indonesia’s new president this week after a slick campaign that has traded heavily off the tacit backing ofA majority vote for Mr Prabowo on Wednesday would avoid a run-off election and kill the bold plans of rival and reform candidate Anies Baswedan, who wants to dilute Indonesia’s controversial nickel and other investment ties with China and draw closer to Australia.Mr Anies has emerged as the dark horse in this election race, but he needs more time to sell the country on his vision for Indonesia. The former Jakarta governor is jostling for second place with another governor, and is a long way behind frontrunner Mr Prabowo.that if elected he would navigate an exit from Mr Joko’s turbocharged nickel industry development policy that has tanked global prices, forced Australian mines to close, and sparked environmental concerns. “We need to be more careful about down-streaming,” he said on Friday after coming off the stage at a rally in East Java
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »
Former Army General Prabowo Subianto Leading in Indonesian Election PollsAmbitious and mercurial, with a dark past, former army general Prabowo Subianto has spent a lifetime vying for the ultimate prize in Indonesian politics. Now, with a large lead in the latest polls ahead of this week’s election, it looks as though the presidency is finally within his grasp. So, who is Prabowo and how will he change Indonesia if he wins?
Source: _TCglobal - 🏆 4. / 83 Read more »